Traders who lost their goods at Cairo market, Oshodi, Lagos have appealed to the state government for assistance.
It would be recalled that no fewer than 91 shops and four offices got burnt on Thursday night at a popular fabric market known as `Cairo Market’ in Oshodi, Lagos State.
Alhaja Basirat Adams, one of the traders said the fire burnt all the goods that worth N1.5 million in her shop.
“I am under serious agony and shock. I have goods worth N1.5 million in my shop and I don’t know how to recover the money lost. I appeal to Lagos State Government to come to our aid because we lost all our goods here,” she said.
A mother of three, Mrs Kadijat Abayomi, told NAN that she was at home when she heard about the fire.
“I have been in tears since last night because I just collected some goods on credit. To pay back now is a problem. This is one of the saddest days of my life and I just hope someone will come to my aid,” she said.
Another trader, Alhaja Karimot Abdul-Kareem, who appeared to be the worst hit, was being consoled by other traders because of loss of goods that worth about N2.5 million. She said she would find it difficult to recover from debts. She, therefore, appealed to the state government to come to her aid.
A trader, who gave her name simply as Madam Kofo, said she would never forget the incident.
Kofo, who said the goods in her shop were worth over N1.5 million, appealed to the government to come to the aid of all the affected traders.
“COVID-19 had many negative effects on us all. We were trying to pick up only for this to happen. I don’t know where to start from,” she said.
Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, Director-General of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday that the fire started at 8.00 p.m. and lasted for hours.Daily Independent.